QIU FAMILY 1

Alexa Yu drove to the hospital after getting the call. She was informed that her grandfather, the Qiu Family patriarch, collapsed and was rushed to the operating room. His condition was severe.

Alexa Yu found most of the Qiu Family members gathered outside the OR. Her uncles were quietly waiting while their wives were crying. A cousin was consoling an aunt who was crying uncontrollably. Another aunt talked about how worried she was and prattled on a whole bunch of words that were too melodramatic to Alexa's ears.

Alexa Yu's eyes, which always seemed to glint with mischief, were watching the whole drama unfold with bored eyes. "I haven't seen them in years, and their acting has greatly improved. Did they take acting classes?" Alexa Yu asked sarcastically.

Chief Min, who was the longtime assistant of the patriarch - Qiu Dongmin, let out a small laugh at Alexa's question. It was hardly appropriate for the moment, but he couldn't help it. Alexa's snides were always on point. He turned to face her and took in her appearance. That once little girl had become a fine woman—a decorated military officer. Gone were the pigtails and locks and were replaced with shoulder-length hair. She was stunning, even if only donned with a shirt and jeans. Alexa Yu inherited much of her beautiful appearance from her parents.

"What happened?" Alexa questioned. The two of them moved farther away from the group.

Chief Min recounted the events this morning. Qiu Dongmin had his usual Friday meeting with the higher-level management. He was perfectly fine when Chief Min left him in the office. But when he returned two hours later, Chief Min found Qiu Dongmin slumped over the sofa's backrest. He was immediately airlifted to the hospital.

Alexa Yu's brows furrowed. "How was his health recently?" Two months ago, her grandfather secretly had coronary artery bypass surgery, and none of the family members was aware of it. He had an operation outside the country. Alexa discovered it by accident. At that time, she saw her grandfather and Chief Min getting inside a prestigious hospital in Switzerland. Alexa Yu stayed with him throughout his stay at the hospital but left when he was out of the woods.

"He is perfectly fine. He had his regular check-up the day before, and there were no complications from his previous surgery." Chief Min answered. Qiu Dongmin had the best doctors in his payroll to monitor his health regularly.

"Was he following his cardiac rehabilitation program—'' Alexa's question was cut because someone spoke angrily behind her. "What are you doing here?"

Alexa Yu turned around. The woman who interrupted was Wan Yu. Qui Dongmin has three sons with his second marriage. Wan Yu is the wife of the second son. "Why shouldn't I be here?" With one brow lifted up, Alexa asked the wife of her Second Uncle.

"You don't belong to the Qiu Family!"

"Are you sure about that?"

Seeing Alexa's face reminded her of Qiu Bailan. Wan Yu hated Qiu Bailan, and so did anyone related to her. Wan Yu's judgment was clouded entirely by anger because of the events 17 years ago.

"Don't you feel embarrassed, coming here when you are no longer part of the family?!"

"Embarrassed? Why should I be? My mother was removed from the family registry. That is a fact." She paused to study Old Madam Tang's face. The forlorn expression remained on the old woman's face. "But my name had always been there. As far as I know, I am Qiu Dongmin's granddaughter. Am I right, Chief Min?"

"That is true." Chief Min confirmed. That was why Alexa could get in and out of the country while Qiu Bailan was banned from returning till present.

Everyone looked at Chief Min with unbelievable eyes. They thought that the moment Qiu Bailan was removed from the Qiu Family registry, her children would be the same. Nobody checked all these years because of this. Even if one did, Qiu Dongmin hid the fact very well. Alexa Yu, born as Qiu Yuyi, is the daughter of Qiu Bailan. Qiu Bailan is Qiu Dongmin's only daughter to his first wife, Li Ren.

Anger flashed Old Madam Tang's eyes upon hearing Chief Min's confirmation before she quickly tucked it away. Chen Ruo caught Old Madam Tang's expression. With the Qiu patriarch being hospitalized, getting on Old Madam Tang's good side was the best choice for her family. Chen Ruo was determined to make Alexa regret appearing in front of them. Chen Ruo walked forward and pointed at Alexa Yu. "You are very thick-skinned! You should never step foot into the Qiu household after what your mother did. If it was me, I would never appear again!"

"Yes, I am thick-skinned. You got a problem with that?" Alexa Yu returned coldly. Why are these people ganging up on her? "And on whose grounds am I not allowed to return? My surname is Qiu. My name is Qiu Yuyi. I was named after my grandfather's great-grandmother. The Qiu family blood is running in my veins. Who are you to question my identity? Your surname is Chen, and you are only connected to the Qiu Family by marriage. Between the two of us, who is the outsider, you or me?"

Alexa Yu's sharp counter-attack sent both women unable to speak. They couldn't refute what she said. They could only grit their teeth and keep their anger to themselves. They couldn't believe that the niece they hadn't seen for years speaks so well.

Chief Min pushed his glasses up as he looked on the side, attempting to hide the laugh that was threatening to escape his lips. Both women wanted to ingratiate themselves on Old Madam Tang by attacking Alexa, but their attempt failed miserably. None of the two knew that Alexa had a knack of provoking anger in one person with words. She was very witty and eloquent.

Chief Min witnessed how Qiu Dongmin and Alexa interacted. If Qiu Dongmin happened to be where Alexa was stationed, he would arrange to meet her. Qiu Dongmin loved to pick Alexa's brain on any topic because Alexa was knowledgeable. Whether it was politics, arts, business, or medicine, their discussion escalated to verbal sparring, and often, Alexa emerged victoriously.

Shao Xin, who was sitting beside Old Madam Tang to console her - laughed in her heart. The two women wanted to curry favor with Old Madam Tang by using Alexa but were trounced. Why? Because they attacked without understanding their opponent first.

Uprooting herself from the chair, Shao Xin walked to their side. She put an arm on Chen Ruo's shoulder. "Aiyah, why are we talking about such things at this moment? If the outsiders heard, they would think we are bullying our niece." She smiled at Alexa. "It is good to see you again after all these years. You have your mother's beautiful appearance."

Alexa Yu smirked. "Is that a compliment? Thank you."